Sometimes, a person must build ladders to climb to the heavens. A nigun is one of these ladders, specifically when we sing after the joy of a mitzvah, with a heart broken open…

...He then gave us concrete advice about this quieting. He said first that one simply watches for a set period of time, observing his thoughts. He eventually will notice that the mind is emptying, his thoughts are slowing a bit from their habitual flow. He then must repeat a single verse or phrase, such as “God is truly God,” in order to insert a thought of holiness into his now open mind. After these steps, he can articulate a need for help in any one of the areas of character development which he needs to work on, be it faith or love or awe. On this occasion, I was privileged to hear his suggestions for work on strengthening faith. He spoke these holy words: “I believe with a complete faith that God is the only existence in the universe. There is no reality other than God. All the world and all that is is just an instance of His light.” One repeats this several times, but not forcefully. The whole point here is to quiet the self. Speaking with a great forcefulness is liable to arouse the ego; one uitters the phrase with a great gentleness...

After this quieting, which has the effect of bringing in a divine influx, he instructed us to say the verse, “Show me, God, Your path,” using his special tune. It was so wonderful and so amazing to see him and hear him, as I did, due to the merit of my friend. Our teacher was very emphatic about this matter; he assured us that it would be very helpful.

...the nigun, which comprises the sounds of the joy or bitterness that wakes a person's passions, through which the holy sparks and the limbs of the spirit are revealed. There is no guarantee as to what a person will do when their feelings are awoken or how the revealed part of their spirit will actualize. Let us suppose there are two people who are experiencing joy. One may direct his feelings of joy into a deepening commitment to serve God; the other may be totally frivolous. Similarly with music, which is one of the keys of the soul, waking it and its passions. But it is possible to open our souls, to release some of our spiritual essence and then do nothing at all with it—or possibly damage it! If his joy is vacuous, if his angst leads to nervousness and despair, he will wound that portion of his soul that is exposed. When he falls from such a height, there will be enormous damage to his faith and foundations. The misuse of spiritual power can lead us to deeply improper actions, God help us!

Is not our havurah (group) devoted to God, and don't we want to bring our spirits to the fore to help direct our bodies, connecting them in God's holiness, nullifying it and its [independent] essence in the soul of God? Thus, we must train ourselves in [the spiritual practices of] celebration and song for the sake of Divine service. We don't necessarily need to compose new melodies, just as you would not prescribe to someone who wants to gladden himself through drink to press his own wine, or one who wants to awaken themselves or another through words, that they must compose a new discourse.

[Here is an exercise:] Take a musical phrase, turn your face to the wall, or simply close your eyes and remind yourself that you stand in the presence of God. With your heart breaking open, you are here to pour out your soul to God with music and melody, emerging from the depths of your heart. Inevitably, you will begin to feel the emergence of your spirit in great joy and delight. At first it was you singing to your soul, to wake her up, but slowly you will feel your soul singing her own song.

Each song is always a riddle; its voices, what are they, its rises and falls, what are they? Why is it sometimes long and sometimes short in coming? All this has already been witnessed, with its voice your soul blazes a trail upward, up to the highest realms, grabbing it with its stirrings and drawing it with its tongue. Your heart, guts, and interior go out with your spirit's song, and the way of songs is upward, and its ascent and descent, all of its revolutions are carved, each movement of the musician is etched, and the melody is engraved in the timbre of the voice. The melody bears your spirit in its guts, pouring it out before God.

Sometimes, unconsciously, one might say things to God, perhaps making known your body's desire, but as you continue and become impassioned, your soul will further come out of its hiding place to fly up above, leaving the bounds of the world. From the depths of your heart your spirit will cry out in pure prayer to God, like so: “Master of the universe in Heaven, have mercy on me, and help me with these things, oy gevald, how I cry so long over this. Master of the universe, save me!” People begin with salvation in all matters and conclude with a cry to save them from where they've fallen. Do not diminish in your eyes these utterances, since they've been dug out of the soul...

This does not need to be solely with a broken-hearted melody, but it can be one of [authentic] joy as well. In all [true feeling] one can actualize the revealing of the spirit. This is the way of the hasid, sometimes they cry during a joyous melody, or during its dance, and sometimes they even dance to the melody for Kol Nidrei!